WO2011007371A1 - A hygienic container for human biological waste to reduce the water consumption needed to dispose said biological waste in toilets - Google Patents

Abstract

A hygienic container of human biological waste suitable for being placed inside a toilet, comprising a bag-shaped containing part (1 ) suitable for placing inside the toilet in order to contain the biological waste, a permeable part (2) extending from the edge of the containing part (1 ) and complete with means for the passage of air and water (4,5), and anchoring means (3) foldable outwards with respect to the containing part (1), extending from the free edge of the permeable part (2). The anchoring means (3) are fit for placing over the upper rim of the toilet and supporting the containing part (1) due to the effect of the weight of the body of a user sitting on said upper rim.

Description

A HYGIENIC CONTAINER FOR HUMAN BIOLOGICAL WASTE TO REDUCE THE WATER CONSUMPTION NEEDED TO DISPOSE SAID BIOLOGICAL

WASTE IN TOILETS

DESCRIPTION

The present invention refers generally to the sector of sanitary equipment, and in particular is directed to reducing the water amount normally used to dispose of the biological waste deposited in a toilet, or WC. More precisely, the invention concerns a hygienic container of human biological waste that enables a reduction in the consumption of water needed to discharge said biological waste from toilets.

As is known, a toilet consists of a toilet bowl, typically fitted with a generally dropdown seat, connected to discharge piping by means of a siphon filled with water to prevent the diffusion of smells into the room.

The methods for discharging the biological waste have evolved over time specifically to reduce the water consumption needed to complete this procedure. A first discharge system involves the use of a flow of water enabled by opening a tap connected directly to the toilet and generally fitted with a spring that controls its automatic closure. The flushing action is thus guaranteed by means of a predetermined quantity of water.

This type of system is the most simple from the point of view of its implementation, but is very wasteful in terms of water consumption. That is why, in order to reduce the water consumption and, at the same time, make the discharge process more efficient, the system has been fitted with a tank, placed at a certain height above the toilet, in which a pre-set quantity of water is stored. By pulling on a chain or pressing a button, the user prompts the discharge of the water from the tank, which flows forcefully through the toilet, entraining the biological waste towards the lower end of the toilet bowl connected directly to the discharge piping.

With time, the capacity of these tanks (which was initially approximately 20 litres) has gradually been reduced in order to reduce the water consumption. In recent years, a differentiated discharge system has also been introduced, that enables the user to select the quantity of water to discharge into the toilet according to the type of biological waste to be discharged, typically six litres for stools and three litres for urine. These solutions have succeeded in reducing the quantity of water used for each flushing action, theoretically enabling the biological waste produced by the user to be discharged with a single jet of water. As a matter of fact, a single jet of water is often not sufficient to completely eliminate the organic material because of the residue that remains attached to the inside walls of the toilet and deposited on the bottom.

To remove said residues, it is often necessary to use suitable brushes, and this is inevitably followed by at least one supplementary jet of water in order to flush away the debris depositing on the bottom of the toilet as a result of using the brush and also to clean the brush itself.

It is therefore evident that the real water saving achieved by reducing the capacity of the tanks (that is approximately 3-6 litres nowadays) is limited as a result of the practical problems posed by the removal of the biological waste.

The presence of residues also prompts a significant use of chemical substances, such as detergents or disinfectants, to guarantee the maximum hygiene for the user.

The present invention proposes to overcome these problems by providing a hygienic container that enables a reduction in the quantity of water usually needed to remove biological waste from a toilet and in the quantity of chemical products used to disinfect the toilet.

According to the present invention, these and other objects are achieved by the hygienic container for human biological waste, the essential characteristics of which are defined in the attached claim 1.

The characteristics and advantages of the hygienic container for human biological waste according to the present invention will be apparent from the following description of several embodiments, to be considered as non-limiting examples, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

- figure 1 shows the hygienic container according to the invention when ready for use;

- figure 2 shows the blank of the container shown in figure 1 ;

- figure 3 shows the container of figure 1 , when folded before it is used;

- figure 4 shows the container according to the invention, when closed and before it is used, in a second embodiment; - figure 5 shows a third embodiment of the container according to the invention, when closed and before it is used;

- figure 6 shows a fourth embodiment of the container according to the invention, when closed and before it is used.

With reference to figure 1 , the container according to the invention comprises three functionally distinguishable parts. In particular, the container includes a containing part 1 , destined to contain the biological waste and forming the bottom of the container. A permeable part 2 extends from one edge of the containing part 1 , over which cuts 4 and a plurality of micro-holes 5 are distributed. An anchoring part 3 extends from the opposite edge of the permeable part 2, which can be folded outwards with respect to the bottom of the container defined by the containing part 1.

The container is preferably made starting from a sheet 10 of biodegradable material, such as PVOH, a plastic derived from seaweed or tomato skins, so that it dissolves in the cesspool or sewage system within the times typical of toilet paper.

With reference to the blank of the sheet 10 shown in figure 2, the containing part

1 is defined by a pair of strips 1a and 1b, that are substantially rectangular, identical and foldable one over the other along one side 11 common to both the strips.

Two identical, substantially rectangular, permeable portions 2a and 2b extend from a longer side 14a and 14b, respectively, of the strips 1 a and 1 b, forming the permeable part 2 of figure 1. These portions can be folded one over the other along a common side 21 that, together with the side 11 of the strips 1a and 1b, forms the rear edge 7 of the container shown in figure 1. Each of said portions 2a and 2b contains a plurality of micro-holes 5 and cuts 4. The cuts 4 are located in the proximity of the sides 23a, 23b of the two portions, corresponding to the sides of the container that have to face towards the front part of the toilet. The micro-holes 5 are distributed over the majority of the respective portions but at a distance from the edges to avoid weakening the structure.

To form the containing part 1 of the container, the sides 12a and 12b, i.e. the sides opposite those from which the portions 2a and 2b extend, are joined together. To do so, the strips 1a and 1b are first folded one over the other and then joined, using known technologies, along the sides 12a and 12b to form the bottom edge 6 of the containing part 1.

The anchoring part 3 consists of a pair of identical, substantially rectangular flaps 3a and 3b, one opposite the other, extending respectively from the longer sides 24a and 24b of the portions 2a and 2b opposite those from which the portions extend.

Each of the flaps has an extension 33a and 33b at the side that faces towards the front of the toilet when in use, extending a certain length beyond the free edge 8 of the containing part 1 and of the permeable part 2, i.e., with reference to the blank of figure 2, beyond the sides 23a, 23b and 13a, 13b on the respective permeable portions 2a, 2b and strips 1 a, 1 b.

The flaps 3a, 3b are separated from one another along the opposite sides, 31 a and 31 b to enable them to be folded around the corresponding sides 24a and 24b.

When the sheet is folded over along the common sides 1 1 and 21 and, as explained previously, the sides 12a and 12b of the strips 1 a, 1 b are joined together, the container according to the invention is obtained, as shown in figure 3, i.e. the container in its closed condition and before it is used.

Based on the above description and with reference to figures 1 , 2 and 3, in order to use the container, the user must first open the sheet around the closed sides, i.e. the bottom 6 and the rear edge 7, and place it inside the toilet being used, orienting the container so that the free edge 8 faces towards the front of the toilet.

To keep the container in a stable position, the user must turn the flaps 3a, 3b of the anchoring part 3 outwards in relation to the bottom 6 of the container and place them on the upper rim of the toilet. The stability is then guaranteed by the weight of the user's body sitting on the upper rim of the toilet, and consequently also on the flaps 3a and 3b, thus holding the container in place and preventing it from dropping inside the toilet.

Given the particular structure of the container, the biological waste is collected in the containing part 1 , preventing it from touching and dirtying the surface of the toilet.

Once the user has performed his/her physiological function, the container is discharged by pulling on a chain or pressing a button to induce the discharge of water from the tank into the toilet.

Thanks to the cuts 4 in the permeable part 2, the water leaving the toilet pours into the container, and into the containing part 1 in particular, thus facilitating the collapse of the whole container towards the bottom of the toilet. This collapse is expedited by the presence of the micro-holes 5, that, in addition to the cuts 4, enable the release of any air from inside the container, thus enabling the anchoring part 3 and the permeable part 2 to drop onto the containing part 1.

The container thus collapses onto itself and is entrained into the drain in few seconds without leaving any residues on the walls of the toilet and consequently avoiding the need to use a brush and a second jet of water to clean the toilet. Thanks to the particular materials chosen, the container dissolves very rapidly in the water, avoiding any clogging of the drains.

To increase the rate of discharge of the container, an opening 15 can also be created in the containing part 1 , by cutting the comer identified between the common side 11 and the bottom 6 (or the sides 12a and 12b), as shown by the dashed line 16 in figures 1 , 2 and 3. Alternatively, perforations can be made coinciding with the corner delimited by the dashed line 16.

For the same purpose, diagonal cuts 20 may be made along the rear edge 7 of the permeable part 2, as shown in figures 1 , 2 and 3.

In a variant of the invention, the outer corner 35 of the extensions 33a and 33b of the corresponding flaps 3a and 3b can also be removed, as indicated by the dashed line 36, to reduce the overall dimensions of the material being discharged.

In a second embodiment of the invention, shown in figure 4, the above-described container is also fitted with two wings 9a, 9b extending from the free edge 8, i.e. from the sides 23a, 23b and 13a, 13b of the corresponding permeable portions 2a, 2b and of the strips 1 a, 1 b, and connected to the extensions 33a and 33b of the flaps 3a and 3b. This allows a larger surface area of the toilet to be covered compared with the first embodiment, thereby better protecting the toilet against any contact with the biological waste.

Due to the greater surface area of the container according to this second embodiment, it is necessary to create further transpiration elements thereon in order to guarantee at least the same efficacy in the discharge of the container as with the first embodiment. For this purpose, micro-cuts 41 are distributed over the permeable part 2, on both the permeable portions, and a plurality of oblique slits 91 are suitably distributed over the wings 9a, 9b. Both the micro-cuts 41 and the oblique slits 91 , in addition to the micro-holes 5, serve the purpose of increasing the rate of collapse of the material by letting the air caught inside the container escape. This layout succeeds in further reducing the quantity of water needed to discharge the container than with the first embodiment, because the oblique slits 91 and the micro-cuts 41 enable a faster collapse of the container.

As in the case of the first embodiment, the speed of release of the air of the second embodiment increased by cutting along the dashed line 16 shown in figure 4 and removing the corner identified by the common side 11 and the bottom 6 (or the sides 12a and 12b) and thus creating an opening 15. Alternatively, in the same way as for the first embodiment, perforations can be added in the corner delimited by said dashed line 16.

In the same way as in the first embodiment, diagonal cuts 20 may be formed along the rear edge 7 of the permeable part 2 in order to further increase the rate of release of the air.

Even in this embodiment the outer corner 35 of the extensions 33a and 33b of the corresponding flaps 3a and 3b can be removed, as indicated by the dotted line 36, to reduce the mass of the container and facilitate its discharge.

Figure 5 shows a third embodiment of the container according to the invention.

In this case, the container is closed on three sides (i.e. sides 12, 1 1 a (b), 13a (b) of the containing part 1 , and sides 21 a (b) and 23a (b) of the permeable part 2). The two flaps 3a (b) of the anchoring part 3 each have two extensions 33a (b) and 34a (b) on either side. In other words, considering the blank shown in figure 2, the sheet 10 in this case has one side 12 common to the two strips 1 a, 1 b, that forms the bottom edge 6 of the container, and it has the sides 1 1 a (b), 13a (b) and 21 a (b), 23a (b) of the strips 1 a (b) and permeable portions 2a (b) respectively, that are separate from one another.

When the sheet is folded over along said common side 12 and the edges of the sheet lying crosswise to the side 12, i.e. the sides 11 a and 11 b, 21a and 21 b, 13a and 13b, 23a and 23b, are joined together, the container shown in figure 5, in its closed condition and before use is obtained. As explained previously, the flaps 3a and 3b have extensions 33a (b) and 34a (b) on both the sides orthogonal to those along which said flaps are folded over. These extensions increase the supporting surface area of the flaps, thereby improving the supporting effect exerted on the container.

In this embodiment, the container is closed on three sides, i.e. the bottom 6 and the edges of the containing part 1 , and of the permeable part 2 lying crosswise to the bottom. Therefore, the container is substantially in the shape of a bag that ensures the containment of the biological waste inside the container without any risk of leaks.

Due to the greater surface area of this container as compared with the previous embodiment, in order to ensure a rapid escape of the air, micro-cuts 41 are distributed over the area 2 that co-operate with the micro-holes 5 in releasing the air from the container simultaneously with the introduction of water through the cuts 4.

As for the above mentioned embodiment, in order to increase the speed of release of the air and consequently also the collapsing speed of the container inside the discharge piping, the edges of the containing part 1 can be cut as indicated by the dashed lines 161 in figure 5, to create a pair of corresponding openings 151 in the containing part 1. In this embodiment too, as an alternative to said openings 151 , perforations can be made in the corner delimited by the dashed lines 161.

Diagonal cuts 20 can also be provided along the rear edge 7 of the permeable part 2 in order to increase the rate of discharge of the container.

In the same way as for the previously described embodiments, the outer corners

351 between the sides 31a, 31 b, and 33a, 33b of the corresponding flaps 3a and 3b can also be cut as indicated by the dashed line 361 , in order to reduce the mass of container being discharged.

Figure 6 shows a fourth embodiment of the container according to the invention, which combines some of the advantageous structural details of the second and third embodiments. In particular, like the second embodiment, the container has wings 99a and 99b extending from the free edge 8 and connected to the extensions 33a and 33b of the flaps 3a and 3b. Here again, there are oblique slits 91 on the wings 99a (b) in order to accelerate the rate of collapse of the container.

As in the third embodiment, there are also extensions 33a (b) and 34a (b) on the ends of each of the two flaps 3a and 3b. In this case, the extensions 33a (b) are more pronounced than the extensions 34a (b) because the latter have only the purpose of increasing the supporting surface area on the edge of the toilet, whereas the former, i.e. 33a (b), being connected to the wings 99a (b), also allow the surface area protected inside the toilet to be increased.

This embodiment therefore succeeds in protecting the inside of the toilet better than the first embodiment and improving the anchorage of the container to the edge of the toilet.

As in the previous embodiments, the rate of discharge can also be increased by cutting the corner between the common side 1 1 and the bottom 6, as indicated by the dashed line 16 in figure 6, or alternatively by creating perforations, not shown in the figure, in the corner area delimited by the line 16.

For the same purpose, there are diagonal cuts 20 along the rear edge 7 of the permeable part 2.

In the same way as for the previously described embodiments, the outer corners 351 of the sides 31 a, 31 b, and 33a, 33b of the respective flaps 3a and 3b can also be cut, as shown by the dashed line 361 , to limit the mass of the container being discharged.

The above-described embodiments can be used both at home and in public places. In particular, in the case of domestic usage, when the level of hygiene of the toilet is generally high and, as a consequence, contact between the user's skin and the edge of the toilet is generally accepted, the containers used can also have micro- perforations on the flaps 3a (b) in order to reduce the mass of the container and thereby facilitate its discharge.

Moreover, in order to avoid the user coming into contact with the biological waste, suitable cuts or folds can be provided along the dashed line 17, as shown in figure 3, to form a containing part 1 with a depth increasing progressively from the rear edge 7 towards the free edge 8, i.e. from the side 11 towards the side 13a (b).

From what has been explained above, it is clear that, using the container according to the invention it is possible to save a considerable quantity of water for discharging biological waste, while avoiding the need for any subsequent operations to clean the toilet due to the presence of residue on the walls of the toilet. The water saving is due to the fact that, since the biological waste is all enclosed inside the container, the water is only needed to make the anchoring part and the permeable part collapse over the containing part so that the container is discharged without dirtying the toilet. Numerous studies and practical tests have demonstrated that only a few litres of water are needed to discharge the biological waste using the container according to the invention, i.e. approximately one litre for the second and third embodiments and approximately three litres for the first embodiment. This enables a saving of between ten and three litres approximately (depending on the capacity of the tank) at each flushing action. Bearing in mind that, without the container according to the invention, at least one further jet of water is generally needed to remove the residual biological waste remaining after the first flushing jet, it is evident that using the container according to the invention a considerable reduction in water consumption is achieved.

Moreover, given the virtually complete elimination of any contact between the biological waste and the wall of the toilet, using the container according to the invention a reduction in the quantity of chemical detergents or disinfectants used to clean the toilet is also achieved.

In addition, if the toilet is fitted with an internal extractor to remove smells, the holes in the permeable part of the container facilitate said extraction and thereby reduce the propagation of the smells produced by the biological waste in the room.

Although reference has been made in the present description to a container comprising of three functional parts, wherein the anchoring part extends beyond the profile of the other two, it is evident that this part may be of the same width as the other two parts, while nonetheless assuring the necessary support for the container. The arrangement, dimensions and shapes of the functional parts may also vary to adapt them to the environments in which the container is used, e.g. public toilets, private homes, offices, etc, and to the various types of toilet on the market.

The drawings show particular spatial distributions of the various cuts, micro-cuts and oblique slits, and of the micro-holes too, but these elements may clearly be distributed differently to achieve the maximum functional efficiency in any type of toilet in which the container may be placed. Moreover, embodiments have been described that are obtained starting from a single sheet of biodegradable material suitable for folding over, but they may also be obtained by superimposing and joining two separate sheets each having the shape of one half of the above-described folded sheet.

The present invention has thus far been described with reference to preferred embodiments. It is clear that, there may be other embodiments that can be related to the same inventive concept, as defined by the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A hygienic container for human biological waste suitable for being placed inside a toilet and characterised in that it comprises a containing part (1) in the form of a bag suitable for inserting inside said toilet to contain said biological waste, with a permeable part (2) extending from the edge of said containing part (1) and provided with means for the passage of air and water (4,5), and also with anchoring means (3) that can be folded outwards with respect to said containing part (1), extending from the free edge of said permeable part (2), said anchoring means (3) being fit for placing on the upper rim of said toilet and supporting said containing part (1) due to the effect of the weight of the body of the user sitting on said upper rim.

2. The container according to claim 1 , wherein said means for the passage of air and water (4,5) comprise cuts (4) distributed so as to enable the passage of water coming from said toilet inside said containing part (1), and a plurality of micro-holes (5) suitable for releasing the air from inside said containing part (1) and permeable part (2) simultaneously with the passage of water inside said containing part (1).

3. The container according to any of the previous claims, wherein said containing part (1) includes a closed bottom (6) and, together with said permeable part (2), forms a closed rear edge (7) facing towards the rear part of said toilet.

4. The container according to any of the claims from 1 to 3, wherein said containing part (1) and said permeable part (2) have a free edge (8) facing towards the front part of said toilet.

5. The container according to any of the previous claims, obtainable from a blank of at least one sheet (10), said at least one sheet (10) being formed into two equal parts suitable for folding one over the other along a side common to said two parts.

6. The container according to claim 5, wherein said two parts of said at least one sheet (10) each comprise a strip (1a, 1 b), a rectangular permeable portion (2a, 2b) extending from one side (14a, 14b) of said strip (1a, 1 b), and a flap (3a, 3b) that can be folded over, extending from the side (24a, 24b) of said portion (2a, 2b) opposite to the one from which said portion (2a, 2b) extends.

7. The container according to any of the claims 1 , 3, 4 or 6, wherein said strips (1 a, 1 b) are suitable for folding one over the other to define said containing part (1), said strips (1 a, 1b) being folded along a common side (11) and joined along the sides (12a, 12b) opposite to said sides (14a, 14b) from which said permeable portions (2a, 2b) extend.

8. The container according to any of the claims 1 , 2, 3, 4, 6 or 7, wherein said cuts (4) and said plurality of micro-holes (5) are distributed over each of said portions (2a,

2b), said permeable portions (2a, 2b) being configured to fold one over the other to define said permeable part (2).

9. The container according to one of the claims 1 , 6, 7 or 8, wherein said anchoring means (3) comprise said flaps (3a, 3b), which have extensions (33a, 33b) facing towards the front part of said toilet, and extending beyond said free edge (8).

10. The container according to one of the claims 5 or 6, wherein said two parts of said at least one sheet (10) are folded along the common sides (21) and (11), respectively of said permeable portions (2a, 2b) and said strips (1 a, 1 b), and joined along the sides (12a, 12b) of said strips (1a, 1 b).

11. The container according to one of the claims 5 or 6, wherein said two parts of said at least one sheet (10) are folded over along a common side 12 of said strips (1a, 1 b) and joined along the sides (11 a, 11 b, 21a, 21 b) of said strips (1a, 1 b) and said permeable portions (2a, 2b).

12. The container according to any of the previous claims, wherein a wing (9a, 9b, 99a, 99b) extends from each side of said free edge (8), designed to increase the surface area covered in said toilet, a plurality of slits (91) being provided on said wings (9a, 9b, 99a, 99b) so as to facilitate the release of air from the inside of said containing part (1 ) and from said permeable part (2).

13. The container according to any one of the claims from 1 to 11 , wherein said two parts of said at least one sheet (10) are folded along a common side (12) of said strips

(1a, 1 b) and joined along the lateral edges (11a, 11b, 21a, 21 b) and (13a, 13b, 23a, 23b) of said strips (1 a, 1b) and said permeable portions (2a, 2b).

14. The container according to any one of the claims 12 or 13, wherein said flaps (3a, 3b) have extensions (34a, 34b) that extend beyond said rear edge (7).

15. The container according to any one of the claims 12 or 13, wherein micro-cuts (41) are formed on said permeable part (2) designed to accelerate the release of the air contained in said containing part (1) and said permeable part (2).

16. The container according to any one of the previous claims, wherein at least one opening (15) is formed in said containing part (1 ) so as to accelerate the release of air from the inside of said containing part (1).

17. The container according to any one of the claims from 1 to 15, wherein perforations are formed in said containing part (1) so as to accelerate the release of air from the inside of said containing part (1).

18. The container according to any one of the previous claims, wherein diagonal cuts (20) are formed along said rear edge (7), at a certain distance therefrom, to facilitate the release of the air through said permeable area (2).